Pieces of the Puzzle
by welshie
Summary: Cameron gets a clue! HouseWilson, established relationship.


Title: Pieces of the Puzzle

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Sadly House and Wilson are not mine.

Summary: Cameron gets a clue! House/Wilson, established relationship.

A/N: One-shot fic. This fic is what I would love to see happen on the show.

Any comments or reviews will be gratefully received. Thanks!

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Cameron took a deep breath before walking into House's office. She knew the kind of reception she would get, but she had already waited long enough to ask her question. She stood in front of House politely waiting for him to finish the game he was playing.

"I assume you're here to ask me something?" House asked, finally looking up at her when his game bleeped, noisily announcing he had lost his final life.

"Is…is everything okay between you and Dr. Wilson?" Cameron anxiously clasped her hands together as she spoke.

House was about to snap back that it was none of her business, but stopped himself and asked instead, "Why do you want to know?" He leaned forward in his chair focussing his full attention on her. She knew she would have to pick her words carefully.

"It's just that I haven't seen him around here lately. You don't have lunch together and you've stopped asking him for consults." She released her hands and shoved them in her pockets. She was acutely aware of House staring at her and she didn't want him to pick up on how uncomfortable he was making her feel.

"So you're _concerned_ we're not friends anymore." Cameron could hear the disgusted sneer in his voice. She stood up straight and shook her head; hoping that she could cut off his predictable tirade about how she'd always let her feelings get in the way.

"No, not concerned. Just curious, that's all." She seemed to have said the magic word as it had the desired effect. House sat back and pondered for a moment how to react. He suddenly unclipped his pager from his belt and threw it towards her. She managed to catch it and shook her head in confusion.

"Page Wilson." House explained as he stood up and unhooked his cane from the arm of his chair. "Will that satisfy your curiosity?" He added.

"Yes." Cameron replied as she threw his pager back at him.

House headed into the conference room where Foreman and Chase were sat at the table drinking coffee. He stood next to the whiteboard and picked up a black marker pen.

"Okay. New game of 'Guess the Disease'." House announced. "Who's in the lead?" He asked as he began to write a long list of symptoms on the board.

"Foreman is." Chase answered, shooting an annoyed look at Foreman. Foreman just grinned smugly at him.

"Are you playing?" Foreman asked Cameron when she joined them at the table.

"No." She replied and faced the doorway instead. They ignored her and continued with the game. Foreman and Chase started to discuss and then argue about what the diagnosis should be. House poured himself some coffee and glanced at his watch, estimating how long it would take them to guess the correct answer. Wilson then appeared in the conference room carrying a big stack of files.

"House." Wilson called out. House spun around and nodded a greeting. Cameron kept her eyes fixed on Wilson. "What do you want? Can it wait? I'm late for my meeting."

"It can wait." House answered as he walked back to the whiteboard.

"Okay, see you later."

"Tonight." House simply replied. Wilson smiled briefly and then continued his journey to the boardroom. Cameron turned to face House, but he already had his back to her as he wrote another symptom on the board.

"Did you add that just to mess with us?!" Chase complained.

"Maybe." House shrugged his shoulders clearly enjoying how irritated Foreman and Chase were with him.

Cameron however was preoccupied with rerunning her earlier conversation with House. Why had House suggested paging Wilson in the first place? He never appreciated questions about his private life so what was so different now? She began to realise that he had only offered that small piece so that she could solve the puzzle. It was up to her to work it out.

She then re-examined what Wilson had said. On the surface he had the same casual demeanour when he spoke to House. There didn't seem to be any animosity between them despite the fact they apparently weren't talking to each other. In fact Wilson had smiled at House before rushing off. She did however think it was odd that he had spoken to House as if there was no-one else in the room. He didn't even register that Cameron had been staring at him for the entire time.

The other things she had learned were that Wilson had answered the page even though he was late for his meeting. And she had at first thought nothing of it, but Wilson perhaps seemed a little embarrassed when House had mentioned seeing him later that evening. Why would House even talk about something personal in front of her and the others? All the pieces of information she had gathered continued to float around in her mind, but they suddenly fell into place and she realised what the answer to the puzzle was.

"Oh!" She exclaimed loudly. Her mouth stayed in an 'O' shape as Chase and Foreman glared at her.

"Do you know what the diagnosis is?" Foreman asked.

"You said you weren't playing!" Chase protested.

"No, no." Cameron said. She was still a little stunned as she tried to shake the possibility from her mind. But she had to accept her conclusion did fit all the clues.

"Are you sure you don't have anything to contribute?" House asked her. His face remained impassive, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that she had guessed correctly.

"No." Cameron said.

"Okay. Time is up!" House picked up the marker pen once again and scrawled down the answer on the board.

"He _was_ messing with us!" Chase exclaimed. Foreman and Chase then continued to bicker amongst themselves.

Cameron took the opportunity to walk towards House and quietly say, "I'm happy for you, for both of you." House smiled warmly at Cameron. She was amazed to see that it was the happiest she had ever seen him.

"I'm happy for me too." He whispered as if he was admitting a horrible, dark secret. However he actually felt relieved to let someone else know. He wasn't embarrassed or ashamed about his relationship with Wilson, but they had decided to keep quiet about it to avoid becoming the latest piece of hospital gossip.

-----

Later that afternoon, Wilson walked into House's office so they could drive home together. House waited until Wilson sat down opposite him to tell him what had happened earlier that day.

"So, Cameron knows about us." House began without warning.

"What?! How?! What did you say to her?" Wilson asked.

"Dr. Cameron is an intelligent woman." House countered. "She figured it out."

"Which brings me back to my question. What did you say to her?" Wilson repeated while he patiently waited for House to come up with a plausible explanation.

"Nothing." House replied, his face a picture of total innocence. "She was worried we weren't friends anymore." Wilson grinned at the comment, knowing that it was typical of Cameron. "I told her to page you this morning. So it was obviously all your fault. Must have been something you said."

Wilson frowned in concentration, trying to think of what he had said that morning to have made her reach that conclusion, but nothing immediately sprang to mind.

"Or did." House added. He then stood up to put his jacket on and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Hey, you wanted her to find out!" Wilson exclaimed after he had added up the same pieces of information that Cameron had.

"Now why would I do something like that?!" House said with mock incredulity. Wilson stood up and decided to change the subject, knowing that House wouldn't admit the truth to him.

"So, was Cameron inconsolable? Did she start crying? I bet she still has a big crush on you!" Wilson teased.

"Maybe I'll tell Cuddy next." House retorted as he picked up his cane and walked around his desk so that he was facing Wilson. "Or perhaps one of the nurses in the Clinic. Then all the women in the hospital will find out and cry about the fact that dreamy Dr. Jimmy is off the market!" House pulled a face as the image of a horde of angry women chasing him and accusing him of ruining Wilson's life entered his mind.

"Did you just say that I'm dreamy?!" Wilson couldn't help laughing. House rolled his eyes, but then smiled mischievously.

"I think I'll tell Cuddy first."

"Do it. I don't mind as long as I can be there to see the look on her face." Wilson answered back.

"Seriously?" House asked completely surprised. "What about the whole hospital gossip issue?" He then contemplated the possible consequences of colleagues finding out about their relationship.

"It's only an issue if you care what people think of you. And we both know you care so very deeply." Wilson replied.

"Great! I'll make an announcement about us on the hospital PA system tomorrow morning." House joked.

"I've changed my mind. Keep your mouth shut." Wilson said, playing along with House.

"Make me." House challenged.

Wilson managed to surprise House for the second time in as many minutes as he took a step forward and pressed his lips against House's. Wilson grinned as he moved away, enjoying the look on his face.

"We'll be old news soon enough I guess." Wilson mused.

"We can start having lunch together again." House said, smiling at Wilson.

"Considering I always pay for your food, how is that a good thing for me?"

"Well, you get my charming company while you eat." House replied. Wilson rolled his eyes as he led the way out of House's office.

As House followed Wilson, he looked forward to seeing if Cuddy's reaction to finding out about their relationship would be as enjoyable as he imagined.

The End.


End file.
